Bayley's fall

[CyberPunk]

While the women's Royal Rumble was historic, it made me take notice of something: how far Bayley has fallen on the main roster. She isn't in any main program as of now and in the Royal Rumble she came in at 29 and still wasn't part of the final four; eliminated under 10 minutes. So much for an over former WWE women's champion.

She is a decent worker with a character which was truly over around her debut on the main roster. She was very popular in NXT and was coming to the main roster at the back of some phenomenal matches in NXT. However, everything that made her the lovable babyface are all but gone. Her character is a shadow of her former self and she has almost no momentum. Unless Banks is turning on her (a big possibility), she'll end up in a multi-woman pointless match at Mania. Looking at WWE, more than one singles match for women would be too much for them. So what happens now? What is her role going forward? What is her plans for Wrestlemania?

And how did she fall so far?

 

[brahuma_bull]

IMO I think the Raw writers have no idea how to use her. They totally buried the character during the Bayley/Bliss program. Her promo's were awful and they really dropped the ball having her take the title 1 PPV before WrestleMania that was maybe one of the dumbest booking decisions of 2017. The title change should of def. happened at Mania. The worst part is probably the only thing they can do to fix the problem she has to go to Smackdown there's no way she can turn hell she's the Ricky Steamboat of women no way she can work heel. I'd be stunned if during the next shake up she's not moved to Smackdown.

 

[Wildcat66]

Having covered her fall from grace several times before, I can confidently tell you what happened that caused this in just one simple phrase.

Anything and everything that could've gone wrong, went wrong.

There was some lackluster writing on the part of RAW creative that really broguht her down from Feburary of 2017 to June that same year. The Bliss vs Bayley storyline went from a great contrast between two talents from Payback to nothing short of a disaster by Extreme Rules. And then there was the promo she cut two weeks later which regardless of your opinion, it should've at least lead to something. But what really killed her I think was when she got her arm injured before her SummerSlam match. The very moment that happened, I knew she was done for on RAW. At least as a top star. Even as she has come back, the moment she was boo'ed on RAW was bar-none the absolute low point of her career and always will be.

However, I cannot place all of the blame on creative. I never have and I likely never will, because I feel that you can always find a reason outside of creative not getting behind them or using them all wrong for a wrestler falling short of what they're capable of. Some part of blame has to be put on Bayley herself for simply failing to live up to the hype. Simply put, she is not the female John Cena as we thought she would be and that is because she is not on the level Cena stood for. Cena and Bayley are clearly strong workers that have made psychology their partner in crime for years and when it comes to inner charisma, they're among the top of their class; everything else on the other hand is another story entirely. Where as Cena has the A.A, a long great move that has ended many matches over the years with an exclamation point, Bayley has a belly to belly suplex which is fine for a moveset; but not as a finisher. Or at least, a good finisher (I actually like her elbow drop more). And where as Cena can sell you ice cream in Antarctica without a sweat, Bayley is extremely forced when it comes to promos and at times, she sounds completely wooden. This is not a problem she has just recently occurred either, this is a problem she has even as far back as NXT. She was able to get away with it however because-

A. She was in a different environment that catered to a different group of fans.

B. There is a different group of writers there than in WWE and thus, different ways on how to write and book storylines.

C. She was (and still is) one of the most genuinely lovable people you will ever meet and is a fantastic babyface.

And D. She was carried by many of her other peers. (usually on the mic, occasionally in the ring)

It's funny to, because from August of 2016 to April of 2017, she was doing well for herself. She debuted to thunderous applause, she won the RAW womens title, she was a part of WrestleMania. And now? Nothing. Just a footnote. To me, personally: The warning signs began when she first won the women's title. It was a great moment, yes. But it was too much, too soon and went against her character, and from there on: It was all downhill from there.

But do I feel all hope is lost for her?: I personally don't think so. So then, what can (realistically) be done to bring her back to prominence? I have four solutions, that I would like to present.

A. The most obvious- Send her to SmackDown and completely start over from square one.

B. The most risky- Turning her heel, I argued for this before and I still believe that it could work given the right context. And given everything she's been through, I could see her snapping and pulling a Sami Zayn.

C. The most interesting- A feud with Sasha Banks. People have wanted to see this happen on the main roster for a long time now, myself included: If this were to happen, Bayley could get over as a babyface once again. Especially if Sasha were the heel.

And D. The most unexpected- A temporary stay on NXT- You don't have to have it last long, three to six months at best. And you don't even have to have her win back the women's title, all you really need to do is to have her go on a barnstorming tour to remind the fans why they loved her in the first place.

As for Bayley's fall: It's unfortunate that something like this could happen to someone as nice a person as her. But that sadly is how the wrestling business works at times, you want one thing: But the wrestling gods go the other way. The ones you hope to succeed don't turn out the way you plan them to be and the people that have the potential to be game-changers either fall hard or simply never reach it.

In short: The wrestling business is unfair and in some cases cruel. But in the end, we can't do anything about it except watch the repercussions of this week and see what next week brings for us. To put it in more blunt terms: It is what it is.

 

[FromGlasgow]

I like Bayley, Never seen her have a bad match I cant see any problems with her and would be disapointed to see her just get lost in the shuffle, Maybe if she was around more than a couple of years ago she would be guaranteed to be at the top of the female divsion but the female roster is so packed at the moment, In my opinion the female roster is the best its ever been even more so with the addition of Rousey so I guess they can't have everyone on top but do think she deserves more.

 

[Navi]

For me the way I see it there is one glaring problem with Bayley and it's the fact that she is too nice. It is understandable that she is a fan and always wanted to be a WWE superstar, most of the wrestlers on the roster have that claim to fame. With Bayley that is about all that can be said about her.

She is a good wrestler all be has the worst finisher in the division. When you compare it to the Figure 8 or the Bank Statement, it just doesn't have the desired effect. Also there is no edge at all to her character. In other words she is boring. I'm not sure if all her fault or part of it can be put on creative as well.

One thing is for sure though she needs a reset. I don't think a stint back in NXT will do it though. That is almost like saying her character only works there and a call up will again prove to be futile. To me, going back will be seen as a failure, considering none of the others haven't been sent back, Ascension I'm looking at you.

With the acquisition of Rousey and the edge she will bring to the sport, Bayley will only move back a few more spaces. There is an expression, nice guys finish last. In Bayley's case I'm afraid that is true.

 

[Naniwa91]

One thing that I think might be able to help her in regards to a heel turn, might be too give the impression that she may have an ulterior motive behind a gesture or a comment. Then again, maybe not.

Was there ever any noticeable edge/hostility in her matches in NXT? I'm not purposely asking a BS question, so I do apologise if it came across as such.

 

[The Yes Guy]

Bayley was always going to be a one hit wonder. Her storylines in NXT revolved around her being the underdog and overcoming the odds. You can do this only so many times.
From then on her character never evolved and the fact that she can cut only half a decent promo didn't help.

I'm not sure if turning her heel would help because I severely doubt her capacity to work as a heel unlike Charlotte or Banks who are natural heels

 

[d_henderson1810]

I have always wondered if WWE made a mistake not bringing her up the same night they brought in Banks, Charlotte and Becky in the "Divas Revolution" storyline.

In fact, if they had brought the four of them up as the "Four Horsewomen" or even together, but feuding with each other, it might have sent the message that Bayley is as important as the other three.

But debuting the other three the same night, while keeping Bayley down in NXT, sent the message that she isn't as important as the others, so now she is perceived and booked that way.

 

[Psykohurricane55]

The problem with bayley is pretty much like what happened to 90% of the NXT stars when they get called up, they thought that everybody in the wwe universe was familiar with her and they just continue doing the same thing they we're doing in NXT without introducing her to those that don't watch NXT. Then they gave them a huge push right away with a title reigns that she truly didn't deserve and the rest is history. She was expose as a decent performance, that's decent on the Mic. The fans rejected her title reigns because they thought she didn't deserve the spot she gotten and then, their the whole feud with Alexa bliss, which killed her because she couldn't hang with Alexa bliss on the Mic.

In NXT, the performers are more protected because they're not on tv or on tour every week, so It easier to get over in that environment, but it doesn't prepare then for what's coming on the main roster where you have to be on Every week and being able to perform every week and make the fans cares about your character even if the creative for the character is awful, some are able to do it but most aren't and bayley had a lot of hype kinda like Finn balor and both didn't live up to the hype, the difference is that balor still got a chance of making it, bayley is pretty much stuck at the bottom of the division now, especially with all the other's NXT women's that are near getting a call up.

 

[FlashMarston]

One thing that I think might be able to help her in regards to a heel turn, might be too give the impression that she may have an ulterior motive behind a gesture or a comment. Then again, maybe not.

Was there ever any noticeable edge/hostility in her matches in NXT? I'm not purposely asking a BS question, so I do apologise if it came across as such.

Don't know how well she'd do as a heel. She just seems to have a natural babyface look. But then again, maybe that's can be utilized to get her even more heat (if she goes the heel route). Super talented though and would love to see her higher on the card.

 

[Richard Blonoff]

The problem with bayley is pretty much like what happened to 90% of the NXT stars when they get called up, they thought that everybody in the wwe universe was familiar with her and they just continue doing the same thing they we're doing in NXT without introducing her to those that don't watch NXT. Then they gave them a huge push right away with a title reigns that she truly didn't deserve and the rest is history. She was expose as a decent performance, that's decent on the Mic. The fans rejected her title reigns because they thought she didn't deserve the spot she gotten and then, their the whole feud with Alexa bliss, which killed her because she couldn't hang with Alexa bliss on the Mic.

In NXT, the performers are more protected because they're not on tv or on tour every week, so It easier to get over in that environment, but it doesn't prepare then for what's coming on the main roster where you have to be on Every week and being able to perform every week and make the fans cares about your character even if the creative for the character is awful, some are able to do it but most aren't and bayley had a lot of hype kinda like Finn balor and both didn't live up to the hype, the difference is that balor still got a chance of making it, bayley is pretty much stuck at the bottom of the division now, especially with all the other's NXT women's that are near getting a call up.

I swear you are fucking ******ed.

First off, the whole "so and so dosn't deserve the title" is a bullshit argument presented by stupid fans to try to justify the belief that you have to pay your dues and spend years toiling away before you get a title. She came up to the main roster, was very over, and they rightfully put the title on her. If an act is hot, you capitalize on it no matter if they have been around ten weeks or ten years.

Fans didn't turn on her because she had an undeserved title reign or that she couldn't hang with Alexa. They turned because WWE gave the fans no reason to cheer her, by making her look completely stupid and inept at every turn. They absolutely killed her character with some of the worst booking in my entire life. No matter how good you are, the fans won't respond to booking that awful.

 

[#hamler]

Remember her God awful feud with Alexa Bliss? That killed every ounce of momentum she had or will have for a very long time. As much as I support the WWE, their booking for the character has got to be one of the dumbest things they've ever screwed up. She wins the women's title with help from Sasha Banks and doesn't even question it. When called out by Stephanie for those shenanigans, she spits out "I don't deserve it, but I'm gonna keep it!". Like what the fuck is that? Couple that with her horrid Kendo Stick match with Alexa Bliss and she's so far from relevancy she could very well need a complete character overhaul to even stand a chance at being popular again.

Just overall some of the most questionable booking I've personally ever seen for someone who might have had John Cena level potential. The WWE brass needs to focus on what made Bayley so popular in NXT and try to capture that on the main roster.

 

[Psykohurricane55]

I swear you are fucking ******ed.

First off, the whole "so and so dosn't deserve the title" is a bullshit argument presented by stupid fans to try to justify the belief that you have to pay your dues and spend years toiling away before you get a title. She came up to the main roster, was very over, and they rightfully put the title on her. If an act is hot, you capitalize on it no matter if they have been around ten weeks or ten years.

Fans didn't turn on her because she had an undeserved title reign or that she couldn't hang with Alexa. They turned because WWE gave the fans no reason to cheer her, by making her look completely stupid and inept at every turn. They absolutely killed her character with some of the worst booking in my entire life. No matter how good you are, the fans won't respond to booking that awful.

No need for name calling, if you don't agree with my opinion just say so and give a intelligent reply instead of calling me a ****** for voicing my opinion.

When you start a reply by you're a fucking ******ed it makes you reply null and void in my eye.

Now while I don't take your comment that seriously, I still going to reply to it. First of all, how over was bayley when she got called up? Really. Plus, what made bayley that over in NXT, it was her underdog character and her chasing her dream, by giving her the belt in the first few month, they completely killed anything that made her enjoyable. Underdog characters like bayley should be kept away from the belt as long as possible and you tell their story about how they will do anything to get the belt. The longer the chase, the better the reward. They didn't do that and it hurt her in the end.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

Yeah, nice talk from a Mod using the R word... real classy.

In reality Bayley IS redeemable but they have to get her WITH someone who can talk... and change that "squeaky clean" thing as Ronda is now gonna have that... all the little girls who loved Bayley are gonna switch quickly.

A push almost along the lines of Steph's initial one could work, where someone "corrupts" Bayley, starts by paying her attention and perhaps someone "warning her off" said guy and then they do the shock reveal that they're a couple and Bayley isn't as clean as we all thought.

It's difficult as so many of the heels are publically married etc... but it'd work with somebody like Dolph on Smackdown. IF he's sticking around it might be a way to get him relevant again if Bayley moves across. On RAW there aren't so many guys to make it work who are THAT heelish.

One option could be... Chris Jericho

He's had rumors for years of him cheating etc, so he could be an interesting guy to bring in and have work with Bayley... It could also feed in to a Miz/Jericho 10th IC title feud next year, once Maryse can be part of it. Y2J being the "much older man" and married etc could help. It'd be a gamble, but Jericho would also be able to work with Bayley backstage to help her with the mic stuff.

While I'm not normally a fan of romance angles, I think it's the only play they have left... If Bayley becomes a "stealer" of someone's crush or man onscreen, it could have the same effect as it did for Lita, putting her "over the top". They could perhaps do a "triangle" with Becky and Finn or Rusev and Lana but I think the idea of the "whiter than white" Bayley becoming a bitch could work and even if it didn't, she's not really lost much.

 

[Mighty NorCal]

I don't know that she is "fallen" rather than just very poorly used. Her rumble involvement wasn't THAT terrible, she did some pretty prolific spots.

The WWE is still learning how to create female stars. No one in the division is over, and Bayley is no different. Her lack of being over is just more prevalent because she was such an obvious "can't miss" megastar coming out of NXT.

 

[Mighty NorCal]

The problem with bayley is pretty much like what happened to 90% of the NXT stars when they get called up, they thought that everybody in the wwe universe was familiar with her

Well they were.

they just continue doing the same thing they we're doing in NXT without introducing her to those that don't watch NXT.

No they didn't

Then they gave them a huge push right away with a title reigns that she truly didn't deserve and the rest is history. .

You deserve title reigns by being over.

. She was expose as a decent performance, that's decent on the Mic.

A "decent performer" who put on multiple classics in NXT. Weren't you the guy who didn't think much of one of two 5 star WWE matches of the last decade?

The fans rejected her title reigns because they thought she didn't deserve the spot she gotten and then, their the whole feud with Alexa bliss, which killed her because she couldn't hang with Alexa bliss on the Mic..

Her run fell flat because she got simply smoked in every conceivable situation when her characters entire appeal is overcoming odds. You have a John Cena style hero character who got beat decisively on a regular basis straight from the beginning. How the fuck is that supposed to work?







You act as if Bayley is some special situation when the WWE has killed literally everyone in that entire division.

 

[Wildcat66]

Yeah, nice talk from a Mod using the R word... real classy.

In reality Bayley IS redeemable but they have to get her WITH someone who can talk... and change that "squeaky clean" thing as Ronda is now gonna have that... all the little girls who loved Bayley are gonna switch quickly.

A push almost along the lines of Steph's initial one could work, where someone "corrupts" Bayley, starts by paying her attention and perhaps someone "warning her off" said guy and then they do the shock reveal that they're a couple and Bayley isn't as clean as we all thought.

It's difficult as so many of the heels are publically married etc... but it'd work with somebody like Dolph on Smackdown. IF he's sticking around it might be a way to get him relevant again if Bayley moves across. On RAW there aren't so many guys to make it work who are THAT heelish.

One option could be... Chris Jericho

He's had rumors for years of him cheating etc, so he could be an interesting guy to bring in and have work with Bayley... It could also feed in to a Miz/Jericho 10th IC title feud next year, once Maryse can be part of it. Y2J being the "much older man" and married etc could help. It'd be a gamble, but Jericho would also be able to work with Bayley backstage to help her with the mic stuff.

While I'm not normally a fan of romance angles, I think it's the only play they have left... If Bayley becomes a "stealer" of someone's crush or man onscreen, it could have the same effect as it did for Lita, putting her "over the top". They could perhaps do a "triangle" with Becky and Finn or Rusev and Lana but I think the idea of the "whiter than white" Bayley becoming a bitch could work and even if it didn't, she's not really lost much.

I've been somewhat of an advocate for the idea of a Bayley heel turn. But doing it like that may be the best way to go about i've seen yet.

Chris Jericho would be a fantastic choice to help Bayley with her mic work, his charisma can turn any old act into the next big thing.

If you wanted to sell this to the WWE Universe, have Bayley come out the night after WrestleMania and admit that she hasn't been herself recently. And she decides to come clean to them tonight, cue the music of Y2J and the two stare each other down for some time...and then they smile at each other and hug. All of a sudden it becomes clear, Bayley and Jericho have been seeing each other and now were dating.

But say you wanted to really shock them and go with someone like say Kevin Owens or Baron Corbin, you could do that as well. Maybe Elias would work as well if they really wanted to go down that route. Who knows? You could even have someone like Aleister Black or Pete Dunne come up and take the role.

Rob, you have a fantastic idea here. I could easily see it garnering heat with the audience if done right. Who knows? Maybe this could be the one that brings her back from the ashes.

Also, unrelated tangent: I know wrestling master is a divisive figure among the forums, but calling someone a 'fucking ******' is not how you cohesivevly debate with someone.

 

[blueskyy]

Oh, this is giving me a headache. Why is it that when someone went out of favor, it is always creative's fault? I can give you a lot of reasons.

1. The nature of a match. It's either win or lose in a match, if it's going to tip the scale either way.

2. The role of NXT and WWE. Whenever someone "graduated" from NXT, it creates a void for the next up and coming star in NXT. If you waited long enough, it might very well be you! In WWE is stagnant, those that are at the top are on the top. You have to displace them to rise to the top.

3. The capability of the superstar. If you're only a cup half filled with water, the creative only has half a cup to sip on. Sorry, this is not a half-empty, half-full scenario.

4. Push someone means not pushing someone else (usually at someone else's expense too, in many situations).

You know, with fuses these short and tempers flaring, it hard to give an honest opinion without offending anyone, but I tried.

 

[Kodo Sawaki]

I think Bayley had an idea on StoneCold podcast about heel turn and really wanted to do it. It could be nice, go for a hug then suddenly "Bayley to Belly". If she could sell that properly she could run with that really nice on any show. She could see her chance as a face also. With Banks maybe turning soon they are in need for faces. Though, with no real plan for women division she could just again be stuck in limbo.

 

[Navi]

Now while I don't take your comment that seriously, I still going to reply to it. First of all, how over was bayley when she got called up? Really. Plus, what made bayley that over in NXT, it was her underdog character and her chasing her dream, by giving her the belt in the first few month, they completely killed anything that made her enjoyable. Underdog characters like bayley should be kept away from the belt as long as possible and you tell their story about how they will do anything to get the belt. The longer the chase, the better the reward. They didn't do that and it hurt her in the end.

Bayley was very over when she first was called up and that's why she didn't win the title until almost 7 months after she got the call up. Bayley debuted in July of 2016 and didn't win the title until February 2017. So I have no idea where you are getting the idea she got the title right away or within a month or so, especially when that didn't happen. She was treated like the underdog with Dana Brooks and Nia Jax being thrown in her way and keeping her from the champion and any title match.

Like I said before, Bayley's biggest problem is that she is a one dimensional wrestler. Her act becomes stale very quickly when put up against someone like Flair and Bliss. She needs a reset and failing that runs the risk of being pushed to the back of the pack.

 

[BestSportsEntertainer]

Oh, this is giving me a headache. Why is it that when someone went out of favor, it is always creative's fault? I can give you a lot of reasons.

Because Creative is responsible for getting talents over and using the entire roster to its full potential? It's Bayley's fault for not getting over when she was squashed by Alexa?

1. The nature of a match. It's either win or lose in a match, if it's going to tip the scale either way.

A wrestler can be made to look good in defeat. Again, Bayley was squashed by Alexa.

2. The role of NXT and WWE. Whenever someone "graduated" from NXT, it creates a void for the next up and coming star in NXT. If you waited long enough, it might very well be you! In WWE is stagnant, those that are at the top are on the top. You have to displace them to rise to the top.

The Raw women's division is currently pushing 2 people. No reason 3-4 women can't be pushed.

3. The capability of the superstar. If you're only a cup half filled with water, the creative only has half a cup to sip on. Sorry, this is not a half-empty, half-full scenario.

Bayley is more than capable.

4. Push someone means not pushing someone else (usually at someone else's expense too, in many situations).

Push Bayley, Asuka, and Sasha then. Alexa can take a step back for a while.

 

[Richard Blonoff]

No need for name calling, if you don't agree with my opinion just say so and give a intelligent reply instead of calling me a ****** for voicing my opinion.

When you start a reply by you're a fucking ******ed it makes you reply null and void in my eye.

Now while I don't take your comment that seriously, I still going to reply to it. First of all, how over was bayley when she got called up? Really. Plus, what made bayley that over in NXT, it was her underdog character and her chasing her dream, by giving her the belt in the first few month, they completely killed anything that made her enjoyable. Underdog characters like bayley should be kept away from the belt as long as possible and you tell their story about how they will do anything to get the belt. The longer the chase, the better the reward. They didn't do that and it hurt her in the end.

Your shitty grammar and terrible grasp of the English language makes all your replies null and void in my eyes, but here I am still replying.

I will give you some credit, underdog characters should be built more around the chase of the title, I will agree with that. Bayley's big moment should have come on a bigger stage after a better build. The build was basically, Charlotte and Dana Brooke cheated Bayley out of a couple of wins, so Sasha comes out and cheats for Bayley.

And she was over enough that large chunks of people in the crowd had Hugger Section signs before she was called up.

Yeah, nice talk from a Mod using the R word... real classy.

I didn't get this job because I was classy, I got the job because of the work I've put into multiple sections of the forum and having a good reputation among the higher ups. Calling someone a ****** isn't against the rules. I've had the discussion with Sly before. If you feel otherwise, take it up with him, he is more than willing to listen to feedback.

Forgot to put this in the original reply, but It's more of a sidenote then anything else but should a moderator suppose to set the example and not insult somebody else's opinion. It's not the first time that I saw you insult somebody on this board because you didn't like their opinion and I don't feel that you should be a moderator on this board if that's how you will act around people that you don't like their opinion.

Am I supposed to give everyone a pat on the head and tell them thanks for posting?

If I think you have a shit opinion, I'm going to tell you that you have a shit opinion. If you continue to have shit opinions and are constantly displaying lapses in basic level intelligence, I'm going to call your intelligence into question.

Also, unrelated tangent: I know wrestling master is a divisive figure among the forums, but calling someone a 'fucking ******' is not how you cohesivevly debate with someone.

I'm not trying to debate him, I'm trying to call him fucking ******ed because he is fucking ******ed. If I wanted to debate him, I would be polite.

 

[AnthonyM4]

When Bayley was on NXT she was like in the top 5 of overall stars in that brand. She had a long babyface run as champion which normally can be boring with others, but it was fun with her. Even the first few months she was on the main roster it was good(I loved her winning at wrestlemania 33), but ever since she lost the title to Alexa Bliss it's been downhill since and couldn't imagine in 2015 and 2016 that it would be like this.

What's next for her? I don't know. I doubt a heel turn would work. I'm surprised she didn't start a good feud with Banks after she came back. In fact after Sasha won the title at summerslam, she should have kept it, turned heel, and had a good feud with Bayley which could have invigorated the latter. Like someone else said, she is too nice so I doubt she is going to be frustrated with her position and want to leave plus she seems to be happy just to be in wwe. I don't know, but I couldn't imagine this in 2015 and 2016.